
-
14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi becomes youngest IPL player
-
Barca make stunning comeback to beat Celta Vigo in Liga thriller
-
Zverev sets up birthday bash with Shelton in Munich
-
Man City boost top five bid, Southampton snatch late leveller
-
US Supreme Court intervenes to pause Trump deportations
-
Alcaraz and Rune race into Barcelona final
-
US, Iran to hold more nuclear talks after latest round
-
Man City close in on Champions League thanks to Everton late show
-
Bayern close in on Bundesliga title with Heidenheim thumping
-
Tunisia opposition figures get jail terms in mass trial
-
Putin announces 'Easter truce' in Ukraine
-
McLaren duo in ominous show of force in Saudi final practice
-
Afghan PM condemns Pakistan's 'unilateral' deportations
-
Iran says to hold more nuclear talks with US after latest round
-
Comeback queen Liu leads US to World Team Trophy win
-
Buttler fires Gujarat to top of IPL table in intense heat
-
Unimpressive France stay on course for Grand Slam showdown
-
Shelton fights past Cerundolo to reach Munich ATP final
-
Vance and Francis: divergent values but shared ideas
-
Iran, US conclude second round of high-stakes nuclear talks in Rome
-
Dumornay gives Lyon first leg lead over Arsenal in women's Champions League semis
-
Trans rights supporters rally outside UK parliament after landmark ruling
-
Rune destroys Khachanov to reach Barcelona Open final
-
From Messi to Trump, AI action figures are the rage
-
Vance discusses migration during Vatican meeting with pope's right-hand man
-
Afghan FM tells Pakistan's top diplomat deportations are 'disappointment'
-
British cycling icon Hoy and wife provide solace for each other's ills
-
Money, power, violence in high-stakes Philippine elections
-
Iran, US hold second round of high-stakes nuclear talks in Rome
-
Japanese warships dock at Cambodia's Chinese-renovated naval base
-
US Supreme Court pauses deportation of Venezuelans from Texas
-
Pakistan foreign minister arrives in Kabul as Afghan deportations rise
-
Heat and Grizzlies take final spots in the NBA playoffs
-
Iran, US to hold second round of high-stakes nuclear talks in Rome
-
Humanoid robots stride into the future with world's first half-marathon
-
Migrant's expulsion puts Washington Salvadorans on edge
-
Plan for expanded Muslim community triggers hope, fear in Texas
-
Pakistan foreign minister due in Kabul as deportations rise
-
White House touts Covid-19 'lab leak' theory on revamped site
-
Dodgers star Ohtani skips trip to Texas to await birth of first child
-
How Motorcycling Builds Life-Long Friendships
-
SFWJ / Medcana Announces Strategic Expansion Into Australia With Acquisition of Cannabis Import and Distribution Licenses
-
US senator says El Salvador staged 'margarita' photo op
-
Ford 'adjusts' some exports to China due to tariffs
-
Thomas maintains two-shot lead at RBC Heritage
-
US to withdraw some 1,000 troops from Syria
-
Four killed after spring storms wreak havoc in the Alps
-
Spurs' Popovich reportedly home and well after 'medical incident'
-
Trump goes to war with the Fed
-
Celtics chase second straight NBA title in playoff field led by Thunder, Cavs

Stafford's struggles lead to Super Bowl shot
After spending many bruising winters of discontent in Detroit, Matthew Stafford was more than ready for his place in the sun.
The 34-year-old quarterback heads into Sunday's Super Bowl as the fulcrum of a star-studded Los Angeles Rams team tipped to win their first Vince Lombardi Trophy in more than two decades.
It is a far cry from Stafford's 12 seasons of suffering with the Detroit Lions, which came to an end last year when he was traded away to the Super Bowl-chasing Rams.
The number one pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, Stafford's prodigious ability had never been in question.
But the franchise's failure to build a team around him left Stafford facing up to the very real prospect that his would be a talent unfulfilled.
In 12 seasons with the Lions, Stafford only registered four winning campaigns. Three trips to the playoffs ended in three first-round exits.
At the end of the 2020 season, Stafford had had enough. In a tearful meeting with the Lions ownership, he requested a trade.
With several teams circling, the Rams won the race for his signature in a blockbuster deal that sent quarterback Jared Goff and several draft picks in the opposite direction.
Stafford believes a Super Bowl victory on Sunday will belong in part to his former teammates in Detroit.
"If we sit here and say we're not a product of our experiences, or we haven't learned from some of the things that we've had go on in the past, picked up things from great teammates or coaches along the way, we'd be lying to ourselves," Stafford reflected this week.
- Relishing pressure -
"There's so many people in Detroit, important people in my life, that have helped me get here.
"I feel like every time I step out there on the field, I'm playing for not only myself, but for everybody that has helped get me there."
Stafford also maintains that his struggles with the Lions helped him ride out a rocky spell with the Rams this season, when the team lost three straight games in November.
"There's things you don't really learn unless you go through some tough times -- and there were some tough times in Detroit," he said.
In the playoffs, Stafford led the Rams to a last-gasp victory over Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, before seeing off the San Francisco 49ers to earn a Super Bowl berth.
It is precisely the scenario the Rams envisioned when they swooped for Stafford last year in a move that essentially mortgaged the franchise's future draft capital for a proven quarterback.
While the move saddled Stafford with expectations to deliver, the quarterback wouldn't have it any other way as he prepares for Sunday's showpiece.
"These opportunities are what you play the game for," Stafford said.
"I'm so lucky to be in this situation and being able to go out and battle one more time with this great group of guys that I have as teammates and coaches.
"As far as pressure goes -- we say around here all the time, 'Pressure is a privilege.' That means something is expected of you, and we expect that of ourselves."
A cornerstone of Stafford's late career renaissance has been Rams coach Sean McVay, a progressive tactician who at 36 is only two years older than the Los Angeles quarterback.
"It's probably unlike any other collaboration I've had with a coach," Stafford said.
"He and I are so close in age, and I have so much respect for how he sees the game and how he builds this offense.
"Do we see eye-to-eye every single second of the day? Absolutely not. Do we work together to make sure that we're doing what's best for our team? Absolutely.
"Do we disagree in-game? Do we disagree on the sideline? Do we disagree in practice and all that? Yeah. But that's part of what makes this so special."
F.Bennett--AMWN